The Heart of The Matter
by Mytokyokitty
Summary: Finally! A story about how Carl and Sandra met and fell in love. You'll be reading this fanfic through Carl's eyes, learning about his past (how he & Max couldn't get along), how he met the love of his life, Sandra, and eventually ties the knot. Frank & Natalie are also in this fanfic. It's an epic love story! (Rated T for some language, violence, and sexual themes).
1. Introduction

**Well this is a story that came to mind not too long ago and I decided to make it about Carl & Sandra. Surprisingly, no one has even made a fanfic about these two. I know that this couple are only side characters in the series (their kid gets the spotlight), but they deserve a story too. So what you're going to read is a romance love story of how Carl met Sandra and fell in love. No Ben, no Gwen, no Kevin; they do not exist in this origin story (hopefully that doesn't bum any of you out). Here are the characters that will be in this story:**

**Carl Tennyson**: The main character of this fanfic and also the storyteller (you'll see the story through his eyes). He has an older brother named Frank that he looks up to. He however, doesn't really get along with his father, Max. Carl just found it unfair about the secret life Max was keeping from him and Frank and what made him more upset is when his mother, Verdora, revealed her secret to him and Frank and then just left. Carl can't help, but feel lied to his whole life by his own parents.

**Frank Tennyson**: The big brother of Carl. Now, unlike his little brother, Frank accepted his father's life secret, but the one thing that felt like a slap in the face was when his mother revealed to him and Carl that she was an alien (Anodite) and then just left Earth. Frank does get along with his father Max, but also keeps Max's life secret from his new bride, Natalie.

**Max Tennyson**: Probably the most sweet caring person from the series. Even though he and Carl have their differences, Max does what he can to stay connected with his youngest son. Max knows that Carl is upset with him for keeping secrets from him and Frank, but he had his reasons and just wished that Carl would be mellow about it like Frank. He also hopes that Carl doesn't stay mad at him forever.

**Verdona Tennyson: **She is sweet and loving to her children and husband. She reveals to her sons in this fanfic that she's an Anodite and then returns to her planet Anodine. Even though she hasa small part in this fanfic, it leaves a huge impact. Verdona will be mentioned in other parts of this fanfic.

**Sandra Colleen**: (I just made up her last name). Sandra will eventually become Mrs. Tennyson, but for now, she discovers romance with Carl after they get to know each other and they both share their secrets with each other. The first time she meets Carl was a special moment and Sandra won't forget what he did for her that night.

**Natalie Tennyson: **Well this fanfic introduces Natalie as a blushing bride (Mrs. Tennyson). She's happy to spend the rest of her life with Frank, but she doesn't know about the Tennyson's secret which Frank wants to keep from her. Carl finds it absurd of his brother to keep secrets from his new wife and thinks that she's going to eventually find out.

**And more characters will be entering this fanfic throughout the chapters. Well I hope you guys enjoy it. Go ahead and proceed to Chapter 1 and feel free to review.**


	2. Ch 1: Lies My Father Told Me

**Okay here is Chapter 1 where Carl begins his story, opens up with some details of what has happened in his life, and then enters Frank & Natalie's wedding reception. Enjoy:**

My name is Carl Tennyson. Yeah, pretty original name isn't it? I have an older brother named Frank who I've always looked up to, a father that I'm pretty disappointed in, and a mother who turned out to be an Anodite alien from another planet called Anodine. Don't believe me? Well, I can't blame you. It does seem pretty farfetched, but it's the truth. Well if my mother being an alien isn't a big shocker, than you should know that the Tennysons have been keeping big secrets. My father, Max, is apart of a big secret organization called "The Plumbers" and he's been fighting, studying, or learning from aliens he encounters. Growing up in the Tennyson's household wasn't easy for me. My mother, Verdona, would be at home with me and Frank while my father went off to work which I believed at the time he was an ordinary plumber that went to people's homes and fixed broken toilets or pipes.

One night, he came home from work with some wounds which scared me and Frank. My mother pleaded to my father that he would start telling us his big secret. He had nodded and left the room. I wasn't sure what she meant by that, until my father came back into the room with a weapon of some kind that Frank and I have never seen before. My father explained what The Plumbers were and what they did. Frank found the weapon cool, but I hated it. How could my father risk his life like that and why didn't he tell me and Frank sooner?

I became angry after that and it got worse when my father kept revealing more pieces of his secret life to me and Frank as we were growing up. My brother seemed cool with it and I'll never understand why. My father had no right to meddle in something that isn't even his problem. I wanted him to get his head out of space and back down to Earth where it was normal. Then, that sad day came when my mother decided to leave. Frank was 21 and I was 18. It seemed just like yesterday when it happened. It was a warm Summer's night. Frank came into my room and woke me.

"What?" I asked groggy

"Mom and Dad want to talk to us," said Frank

I got out of bed and followed my brother into the living room where my parents stood. They both looked upset which had me and Frank concerned.

"What's the matter?" I asked

"Boys, there's something we need to tell you," said Max

"Are you two getting a divorce?" I asked

"CARL! HOW DARE YOU SAY SUCH A THING!" Frank snapped

"No, it's not that boys, it's..." Max started to say

"You know that your father was keeping secrets from you and I've been keeping something from you two," Verdona butted in

"What is it?" Frank asked

My mother sighed and looked at me and Frank with eyes of fear and worry.

"I am not from Earth. I am an alien. My race is called Anodite," said Verdona

Frank and I looked at each other with confusion and then looked back at our parents. Had my mother finally lost it? This was ridiculous. There's no way my mother was an alien. She had to be teasing us or so I thought at the time.

"Come on mom, that's crazy," said Frank

"He's right, you're not an alien," I said

"I was afraid of that," said Verdona

Suddenly, there was a flash of light and my mother's skin fell off leaving me & Frank stunned. We couldn't believe what we were seeing in front of our eyes. My mother just transformed into a purple like alien creature. Her eyes and hair glowed with brightness and she began to levitate, but soon came back down to the floor. Max took her hand and held it.

"Okay, what the hell is going on?" I asked now suddenly wide awake

"I don't understand," said Frank

"Your mother is an Anodite and she's leaving tonight," said Max

"WHAT!" I practically screamed

"Where is she going?" asked Frank

"My boys, my dear sweet sons. I must return to my planet, Anodine. I have been on Earth for a long time and I'm starting to feel sick, I'm becoming weak. For years, Earth has been draining me slowly," said Verdona

"Why didn't you tell us sooner?" asked Frank

"I didn't think you could handle the truth back then. I decided to wait until you were both old enough to start living on your own, where you don't need us anymore," said Verdona

"I'll always need you mother. I want you to stay here with us," I said

"I know baby, but I must go. If I don't leave, I could die," replied Verdona

My eyes widened and Frank looked like he was about to cry. My mother grabbed her skin, put it back on, and we all headed out to the backyard to say goodbye. My mother approached Frank first and she took him in her arms. She was whispering something in his ear and that's when my bother began to sob. He hugged my mother tightly for a few moments and then let go. Then my mother approached me and pulled me into a hug.

"Oh Carl, my youngest baby. I'll miss you the most. I know that you've been angry at your father because of the secrets he kept from you, but just remember that he loves you and wants to protect you & Frank and I love you," Verdona whispered in my ear

"Mother don't go!" I sobbed hugging her tightly

"I know baby. I don't want to go either, but I have to," she responded sadly

After we hugged each other for a few moments, I let go of her. My mother then approached my father, who seemed more upset than me and Frank. They both hugged each other and shared a kiss. Then my mother began to levitate in the air. My father kept a hold of her hand until his hand slipped from hers.

"Goodbye my darlings, I'll miss you," said Verdona

Then in a blink of an eye, she disappeared in the night sky. My father, Frank, and I stared up at the night sky for a few moments before going back inside. I just couldn't believe what had happened. First my dad kept a secret life from me and Frank, lied to us day after day, and now my mother left us because she was an alien that was becoming ill due to living on Earth too long. Nothing made sense anymore.

"I'm sorry boys. I wish we had told you sooner and I didn't think she was going to leave tonight," said Max

"Wait a minute, you knew that mom was going to leave? YOU KNEW!" I started to shout

"Carl, calm down," my brother butted in

"Shut up Frank!" I snapped at him

"Hey, don't talk to your brother like that!" my father snapped

"DAD, HOW DARE YOU LIE TO US! BECAUSE OF YOU, WE MAY NOT GET TO SEE MOM AGAIN!"

"You think her leaving is killing you?! It's hurting me more than you and Frank! YOU'LL NEVER KNOW WHAT IT'S LIKE TO SACRIFICE SOMETHING FOR THE ONE YOU LOVE!"

"THAT'S IT! I'VE HAD IT! I'M SICK OF YOU AND YOUR DAMN LIES! I'M MOVING OUT OF THIS CRAPPY DUMP TOMORROW!"

"FINE!"

I stormed off to my room as my father stormed off into his den. Frank remained in the living room unsure of what to do. I couldn't sleep. I was so angry and upset. I decided to pack my bags. That's when there was a knock on my door.

"I don't want to talk to you dad!" I shouted

"It's me Carl," said Frank

I didn't say anything and just continued packing my bags. Of course, Frank invited himself in.

"Carl, can we talk?" asked Frank

"No! There's nothing left to say," I said angrily stuffing more clothes in my bag

"Look, I'm upset too about mom leaving, but you can't be angry at dad for that."

"Frank, dad lied to us our whole lives, why can't you see that?"

"It was for our protection! Why can't you see that?"

"Protection from what? Aliens? What complete bullshit!"

"So you don't believe in aliens? Mom is an alien or did you suddenly forget that?"

"Look Frank, this has happened way too fast for me and I can't soak it all in like you can."

"So you're serious about moving out?"

"Of course I am! If I were you I'd move out too."

"I plan to move out when I'm done with law school."

"Oh sure, just continue living here with the liar."

"CARL!"

"I'm sorry Frank, but I need to get out of here. I need a place of my own so I can think!"

"Well I'm sorry you feel this way and since you're leaving, I want you to have something."

Frank left my room and came back in a few minutes later. He took my hand and placed a small roll of money in it that was wrapped with a rubber band.

"What's this?" I asked

"It's $300, I want you to have it," said Frank

"Frank, I can't take your money."

"Yes you can. Look, if you're going to find yourself an apartment, you'll need to make a security deposit. You may not have the greatest job in the world, but I know someone that can rent you an apartment at a good price."

Frank then handed me a small slip of paper with a name and a phone number. I just didn't know what else to say. All I could do was hug my brother.

"Thanks Frank. You know this means a lot to me," I said

"You're welcome and before you go, there's something I want you to think about," he said

"What's that?"

"I know that you've been angry at dad for years, but you must let this anger go sometime. I don't want to see our family tear apart over something stupid. Please don't stay angry at him. Mom wouldn't want you to be."

"Okay, but for right now I need to get out on my own, I need to think, I need breathing room."

"I understand, good luck little brother."

Frank then left my room and closed the door. I got back to packing my things and I placed the money and the paper slip in my pocket. After I packed what I was going to take, I went to bed. I only slept for a few hours. I decided to get up early that morning so my father and brother couldn't see me go. Before leaving the house, I wrote a note saying that I'll come back for the rest of my stuff and put it on my bedroom door. I know my brother would see it, but I'm sure my father could care less. I loaded my car with my packed bags, looked at the home I grew up in one last time, got in my car, and headed off.

That day, I went over to a friend's house. He let me stay with him until I found an apartment and thanks to my brother, I ended up getting one by the end of the week. I moved in immediately after getting the keys. My brother came by with the rest of the stuff and helped me move in. It was a nice place that had one bedroom with a bathroom, a small kitchen, a laundry room, and a living room. This apartment was the start of my new independence and I have lived here for 3 years. A lot has happened through those 3 years.

I've been in and out of dating and I've been through 4 different relationships that didn't work out. You see if I'm going to have a woman in my life, I don't want to hide any secrets from her, but every time I told my ex's the Tennyson's secrets, they didn't believe me and they eventually ended the relationship. I've been called a weirdo, freak, and was even given a suggestion to march to the chair of my psychologist. So I wasn't successful at impressing a girl, but at least I was being honest about my life. My brother, however, was doing a lot better in his love life than I was doing in mine. In fact, he just got married to the love of his life, Natalie, and tonight was the wedding reception celebration. Even though I received an invite, I wasn't sure if I should go or not. After thinking about it awhile, I decided to go because it would make my brother happy. A few hours before driving to the wedding reception, I got into my tux, combed back my hair, and grabbed my favorite gum. For some reason, I enjoy chewing gum when I drive. Anyways, when I arrived, it was pretty crowded. I walked around and just watched everyone mingle. Some were talking to each other, others were sitting and laughing, and a few others were eating snacks at their table.

"Carl, you made it!" Frank said approaching

I turned around to see my brother open his arms and he pulled me into a hug. Following him was his new wife Natalie. I've only met her a few times. After being hugged by my brother, my new sister in law hugged me pretty tight.

"It's good to see you again Carl," said Natalie

"Likewise and you look beautiful," I said while fixing my bow.

"Thank you."

"So, what has Frank been telling you about our family?"

"Oh nothing bad. Just that you're family is pretty busy esp. your father. I never thought that being a plumber could be difficult."

"Ah, so you finally know that..."

"Fixing broken pipes and toilets can be hell," interrupted Frank

"You didn't tell her?" I asked looking at Frank

"Tell me what?" asked Natalie

"Excuse us Natalie. I need to speak to Carl in private," said Frank grabbing my arm and pulling me to the other side of the room

"Uh, okay?" said Natalie confused as she watched us leave

I looked back at Natalie and she was approached by other people. It was probably a good thing for Frank that somebody was distracting her. Frank let go and shoved me. I don't see why he was so upset.

"What the hell is wrong with you Carl?!" Frank snapped

"What did I do?" I asked confused

"You almost exposed the family secret to her!"

"Wait a minute. You weren't going to tell her?"

"Of course not! She doesn't need to know."

"Well, what about mom, does Natalie know about her?"

"I only told her that the reason our mother isn't here is because she's traveling."

"Wow Frank, what a way to start your marriage by lying to your wife."

"Carl, I'm just trying to protect her the way dad was protecting us."

"Well that's just so like you to be like dad. You know Natalie's going to eventually find out right?"

"My wife doesn't need to be involved with our family's secrets."

"Well Frank, if I had a woman in my life, I wouldn't keep secrets from her."

"Carl, how many relationships have you been in?"

"Four."

"And why do you suppose that is?"

"I just can't find a woman that understands me."

"Well maybe you will if you don't mention our family secrets, but the way you share our family secrets Carl, you'll never get married."

Frank and I just stood there in silence for a few moments. I could not believe that my brother just said that. Hearing those words come from the guy I looked up to did hurt.

"Carl, I didn't mean...," Frank started to say

"I need some fresh air," I said walking past him

"Carl!"

"Leave me alone!"

I stormed outside and started entering the parking lot. That's when a I felt a hand touch my shoulder.

"FRANK WILL YOU JUST PISS OFF!" I snapped turning around

My expression changed quickly when I realized it wasn't Frank, but my father. He seemed a bit surprised.

"Oh, hi dad," I said in a calm tone

"Hi," Max responded

"Sorry, I thought you were Frank."

"What happened?"

"It's nothing dad. I just need to be alone right now."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"NO! I just you and everyone else to leave me alone!"

I then turned around and walked away. I wasn't sure what my father did after that, but I assumed he went to go talk to Frank. It has been a long time since I last spoke to my father. As I walked along the road, I was thinking about my past; my mother, my father, and my brother. I then started asking myself what went wrong or was it something I have caused? Eventually, I came to a bridge. I decided to stop and look at the view. I have to admit that the moon makes the scene beautiful. I sighed and pulled out my gum. I decided to chew the rest of it.

"Oh, I remember when people said to me 'Carl, you are one lucky son of a bitch.' When did things start going wrong in my life?" I asked myself

**Writer's Notes:**

**Okay guys, I'm going to end the first chapter here, but the next one will open to Carl's first encounter with Sandra. Anyways, I wanted to point out that I have changed Verdona's story a bit and wanted her to leave Earth for a different reason. In the episode of Ben 10 "What Little Girls Are Made Of," Verdona stated that she went back to her planet because she was all by herself. Frank and Carl were already grown, on their own, and Max was busy saving the universe so she felt that there was no reason to be living on Earth anymore. She also stated that she and Max grew apart. So in this fanfic, I gave Verdona a different reason to leave Earth and wanted to have Frank and Carl show how they feel about it which also leads to Carl & Max going down different paths. **

**That's all for now. I will be posting the next chapter soon. **


	3. Ch 2: Then I Met Her

**Well here's chapter 2 at last. This chapter introduces Carl's first meeting with Sandra and it turns out to be a rescue situation (you'll see what I mean). I hope you like it, enjoy:**

After a half hour or so staring at the moon, I decided to walk back to the wedding reception. It wasn't long until I heard a ruckus in the distance that was away from the road. I decided to go and check it out and it was a good thing I did. Entering this small patch of wood, I came across three guys and a woman. One of the guys had a firm grip on the woman's arm and she looked terrified.

"Come on Sandra, I gave you everything and you want to leave me?" he said

"Lynn, I'm sick of you hurting me and I don't love you anymore!" she shouted

He struck Sandra across the face making her let out a shriek and then he shoved her against the tree. Lynn's friends just continued to watch and laugh.

"Oh she's going to get it now," one of them said

"No woman has ever talked to me like that!" said Lynn

"Well it's about time someone did," said Sandra while giving him the look

Lynn punched Sandra causing her to fall to the ground. I couldn't believe what I was seeing. How could any man abuse a woman like that? I've had seen enough.

"You little bitch! You're going to eat those words!" yelled Lynn about to kick Sandra

"HEY! LEAVE HER ALONE!" I shouted

Lynn and his friends stopped and looked at me. As I approached them, I took off the jacket of my tux. I had a feeling that this situation was going to end in a fight.

"What are you dress up for, the prom?" one of Lynn's friends asked me

"SHUT UP!" Lynn snapped

He approached me with a look that could send shivers down your spine, but I didn't back down.

"You have a lot of nerve interfering in my business. I'm too busy to deal with you so I'm going to give you a chance to go back where you came from?" Lynn threatened

"Or what, you're going to do this?" I said

I surprised Lynn with an upper cut to his jaw. This made him fall to the ground. Lynn's friends appeared surprised that I hit him. Sandra also seemed surprised, but she remained where she was. I could tell that she was afraid to get up.

"Lynn are you okay?" one of his friends asked while helping him up

"Don't touch me!" he snapped

Lynn now had his focus on me and his rage was beginning to build, but I wasn't worried. I wasn't going to let this guy get away with what he did.

"You're going to pay for that you little shit!" said Lynn

"Try it you bastard!" I snapped

Lynn then had his friends tackle me. I actually wished I had seen that coming. It surprised me that Lynn had his friends fight his battles for him which made me feel at the time that Lynn only talked tough. I was getting punched and kicked to the ground, but I fought back. I punched one of Lynn's friends in the mouth and kicked the other into a tree. This fight lasted about 5 minutes. By the time they were both knocked out, I got up slowly and looked around to discover that Lynn was gone and he took Sandra. I had quickly ran to the steep hill path and saw below Lynn pulling Sandra along. I ran down the steep path to catch up to them.

"LET GO OF HER!" I shouted

Lynn and Sandra were both surprised to see me. I continued to run and when I was close enough, I tackled Lynn. We both tumbled down the rest of the way of the steep path. Sandra had stayed put. She wasn't sure what to do. Lynn punched me in the face giving me a shiner and I punched him right back. Once I had him pinned to the ground, Lynn started to panic. I gave him a few good punches and then I got up and kicked him. Lynn held himself for a few minutes and coughed a few times. That's when I picked him up by the collar and brought him to my eye level. I could tell that he was now afraid of me.

"Now you listen to me asshole and you listen good! If you ever touch her again or any other women in this area and I find out about it, I'm going to come looking for you! My brother will also get involved with this! Now go scrap up your friends and get the hell out of here! I don't ever want to see you again!" I said in a threatening tone

I shoved Lynn back and he took off like a rocket. I have to say it probably only took him 10 seconds to get back up the steep hill. I dusted myself off, but it didn't seem to do any good considering that my tux was ripped up and ruined. I was going to pay a hefty price for that. I looked up at Sandra and she looked at me. We locked eyes for a few moments. Then she started to approach me.

"Are you alright? Look what they did to you," said Sandra

"I'm fine, but the question is are you alright?" I asked

"Thanks to you I am. What's your name?"

"My name's Carl, Carl Tennyson."

"I'm Sandra, Sandra Colleen."

"Well it's nice to meet you."

"Likewise and I'm sorry that we had to meet like this."

"Don't be. I'm glad our paths crossed tonight. Anyways, would you like me to take you home? I'll make sure you get there safely."

"That's nice of you, but I can't go home."

"What? Why not?"

"It's complicated. Carl, I hope that this doesn't sound weird or selfish, but could you stay with me tonight? I just don't want to be alone right now."

"I'll gladly accompany you. I could use some company myself."

She smiled at me and I smiled back. Before we headed off anywhere, I went back to get my tuxedo jacket (the one thing that didn't get ruined) and then headed back down the steep path. Sandra didn't want to walk along the main road and I couldn't blame her. That Lynn guy was probably still out there. As Sandra and I walked, we left the small patch of woods and came to the bridge that I was at awhile ago. We decided to relax under the bridge. I looked at Sandra and she was shivering a bit. I admit that tonight was a bit cool, but I loved it. I placed my tuxedo jacket around Sandra's shoulders.

"There, now you'll be a bit warmer," I said

"Thank you," replied Sandra

"No problem."

"If you don't mind me asking, what are you dressed up for?"

"Oh, my brother just got married and his wedding reception is tonight."

"Oh, I hope I'm not keeping you from that."

"No, you're not. I left on my own. Besides, I rather be here with you than be there."

Sandra blushed and I smiled, but I suddenly turned away feeling like a complete idiot.

"I'm sorry. That was too fast to say," I said

"No it wasn't. I thought it was sweet," said Sandra

We both smiled and just stared at each other for a little bit. I wasn't sure what was coming over me that night, but it was a good feeling. I didn't know if Sandra had the same feeling that I had. All I knew was that I was starting to like her and enjoyed her company. As the night went on, we both gazed at the moon. This night turned out to be great after all. But soon, I was growing tired. Sandra had already dozed off to sleep and she rested her head on my shoulder. I soon dozed off to sleep. The next morning, I awoke to someone calling my name over and over again and the feel of my shoulder being shaken.

"Carl, CARL!" the voice continued

I opened my eyes to see Frank and my father. They both looked upset and when my vision was clearer, they looked relieved. Frank pulled me into a hug.

"Oh thank God. We thought something bad happened to you. We looked everywhere when you didn't come back last night," he said.

"What happened to you?" Max asked

I was still feeling tired, but then I suddenly remembered Sandra and started looking around in different directions for her. She was nowhere in sight. I assumed she got up early and left. Then I saw two paramedics coming towards me with a stretcher.

"Guys, I'm okay," I said

"No you're not Carl. You look like you got mauled by a bear!" said Frank

"Son, what in God's name happened to you last night?" Max asked again

That's when I suddenly remembered the fight I had with Lynn and his friends. I was trying to protect Sandra from those blood thirsty bastards. I may have won the battle, but I also won wounds that I forgot about. It was no wonder my father and brother were so worried about me.

"I got in a fight with three guys. It was no big deal," I stated

"No big deal? They could have killed you!" Max said

"Alright I'm sorry."

"We'll talk later. Right now you're going to the hospital."

"I don't need to go to any hospital. I'm fine!"

I suddenly moaned and rubbed my head. I started to feel the wounds those guys gave me last night, but I'm sure they were hurting far worse from the ones I gave them. Once I was on the stretcher, I was taken up to the main road and then put in the back of an ambulance.

I've never been in one before. It was actually pretty cool. Once I was at the hospital, they placed me in ER. I had taken an x-ray and was soon bandaged up. If there's one thing I hated about hospitals, was that everything took forever. I just wanted to go back to my apartment and sleep. Soon, the doctor finally came back with my report.

"No broken bones and no damage to your cranium. You're just going to be sore for awhile," he told me

"Told you I was fine," I said looking at my dad and brother

"You can go home now Carl, but may I suggest that you stay out of fights," said the doctor

"Don't worry, I will," I told him

"Good."

"Come on Carl," said Max

Frank went out to get my car while my dad helped me walked out of the hospital. Even though I was perfectly capable of walking myself, it was probably a good thing that my dad was helping me. On the way out, people were staring at me. They were either thinking "stupid kid" or "poor thing." To tell you the truth, it felt uncomfortable getting stared at. My brother pulled up and opened the passenger door. I got in and my dad shut the door after me.

"Carl I want to talk about this, but for now get some rest. I'll be coming by your place later," he said

I didn't say anything, but nodded. My father didn't need to be concerned about this matter at all. I thought I handled it okay. The only person I could think of was Sandra. I had no idea where she went off to and I was hoping that she was okay. As Frank drove to my place, I remained quiet. I knew my brother didn't like this.

"Carl, what's on your mind?" asked Frank

"Nothing," I replied

"Usually you talk my ear off when we cruise around, but today you barely said anything."

"I'm just not in the mood to talk right now."

"Why?"

"Just forget about it."

When we finally made it to the apartment complex, Frank parked in my spot and helped me get inside. I sat down on my sofa while he closed the door. He then sat next to me.

"Alright, talk," said Frank

"Talk about what?" I asked

"You know what Carl. I know you're hiding something from me."

"I'm not hiding anything!"

"Come on Carl, you know you can tell me anything. I promise I won't tell dad."

"I already told you that I got in a fight with three guys."

"Carl, I want to know why you got in a fight with those three guys."

"You probably wouldn't believe me if I told you."

"Try me."

I sighed and rubbed the back of my head.

"The reason I fought those guys was to save Sandra," I said

"Who's Sandra?" Frank asked

"The woman I met last night. Apparently, one of those guys she was with was her ex boyfriend and he was hitting her."

"He hit her?"

"Yes, but don't worry I gave him and his friends exactly what they deserved. After the fight, Sandra and I just talked and we relaxed under the bridge. When you and dad found me and I woke up, Sandra was already gone. She must have went home on her own."

Frank and I became silent for a few moments. I wasn't sure what he was thinking, but he probably thought I did a stupid thing.

"Carl, I owe you an apology. I didn't mean what I said last night and I made a big deal out of nothing," said Frank

"It's alright, don't worry about it," I said

"Well, I should get going. Natalie will want to know that you're okay."

"Alright and Frank?"

"Yes?"

"I don't care if you tell Natalie about our family secrets or not. Just go with how you feel."

Frank nodded and then left. I then decided to kick back on the sofa and nap for awhile. I was tired, hurting in a few places, and I was still thinking about Sandra. I kept asking myself "Will I ever see her again?"

**Writer's Notes:**

**Hey guys. Well, Sandra being saved by Carl probably wasn't the best special moment I mentioned in the introduction (I was trying to go for the princess being rescued by her knight in shining armor routine), but it did lead to them liking each other a little bit (the beginning of romance). Even though their time was short in this chapter, they will be having better meet ups and romance. Anyways, I will be posting Chapter 3 soon, but I'm going to be slowing down because I feel that I'm rushing this story a bit. **


	4. Ch 3: My Secrets, Her Secrets

**Alright, here's Chapter 3. Sandra reveals her secrets to Carl and He reveals his family secrets to her, but Carl is nervous because he doesn't know if Sandra will accept it or just walk away like the others. What will happen? Read on and find out. Enjoy:**

A few days later, I went to a local store to buy more food. My fridge was becoming bare and I needed to refill it. I grabbed a basket and began browsing around. I grabbed some eggs, milk, meat, etc. and started heading in the next aisle to grab some cereal. That's when I accidentally bumped into somebody making them drop one of their food items.

"Oh I'm terribly sorry, I didn't see you standing there and...Sandra?" I questioned

"Carl, hi!" she responded

"It's good to see you again."

We both smiled and hugged each other. I then reached down and picked up what she dropped. I handed it back to her feeling a bit foolish for making her drop it in the first place.

"Sorry about that," I said

"It's alright. You're looking well and your eye looks a lot better too," said Sandra

"Well you look lovely...I mean you look well too...I mean you are lovely too...um"

Sandra giggled and I blushed. I can't believe my words got scrambled. Sandra now probably thought that I was a dork.

"Don't be embarrassed, I know what you meant," she said

"Well I wasn't sure when or if I was going to see you again, but I was wondering if you would like to go out sometime?" I asked

"You mean like a date?"

"Well, yeah."

"I'd love to Carl, but I think we should wait until both of our wounds heal first."

Sandra pointed to one of the band aids on her face assuming that I haven't noticed.

"So I take it your family freaked out?" I asked wanting to know what happened

"Actually, it's just me and my big sister and yeah she wasn't happy with me when I came home late that night," said Sandra

"I'm sorry I dozed off, I should have walked you home."

"No worries Carl. My sister is just grateful that Lynn won't be coming around anymore. I think you scared him off for good."

"I'm glad."

"Well, I better finish my shopping before my big sister flips out on me again."

"It was good to see you again Sandra."

"Oh before I go, let me give you my number."

Sandra tore off the bottom of her shopping list, took out a pen from her purse, and began writing down her number. Once she handed it to me, I also gave her my number.

"Once we're both healed, I'll give you a call," said Sandra

"Okay," I said

She gave me a hug, picked up her groceries, and then headed to the check out stand. I sighed as I watched her leave the aisle. Sandra had given me a good feeling and I looked forward to the day when we would spend time together.

About a week later, I was finally able to take off my bandages. My wounds have almost completely healed. Sure, I still had a few bruises, but you could hardly see them. It wasn't long until that phone call came. I was glad to hear Sandra's voice over the phone. We both made plans to dine at one of her favorite places and then take a stroll in the park.

"Okay, I'll pick you up at 5:30," I said

"See you then," said Sandra

"Bye."

"Bye."

We both hung up. That good feeling I had inside of me began to grow and I was becoming eager for time to go faster that day. Every minute that passed meant another minute closer to being with Sandra. When the clock finally struck 5:00, I began to get dressed. The trouble was I wasn't sure what to wear. I wanted to look nice for Sandra. I didn't exactly have a nice suit to wear. I just decided to go with my nicest jeans and shirt. Once I was ready, I called Sandra and let her know I was on my way. Then I grabbed my keys, wallet, gum, and was out the door. I locked up and headed to my car.

After 20 minutes, I arrived at Sandra's place. It was different than I had pictured. The home was small, not very new looking, it could use a coat of paint, but it looked cozy. I got out of the car and walked up to the front door. I rang the doorbell and waited. A few moments later, I heard footsteps approach. The door opened and there stood a woman who had golden brown hair and hazel colored eyes. I assumed that she was Sandra's big sister.

"Yes?" she asked kind of harshly

"Is Sandra home?" I asked

"Just a minute."

She disappeared leaving the door partly open and then Sandra suddenly appeared. I became stunned and just stared at her. She had her golden blonde hair up in a pony tail, she wore makeup, and had a sweet aroma coming from her. My heart was beginning to pound.

"Wow, you look beautiful," I said

"Thank you," said Sandra

"Now Sandra, I want you home by 11:00," her sister said

"Oh come on Anna, I'm not a little kid anymore!" Sandra protested

"If you want to be treated like an adult, you'll listen to me. I think I'm being reasonable with your curfew time," she replied

Anna then turned her gaze towards me. I couldn't help but feel afraid. She was giving me the look as if I had done something wrong.

"Now I want you to bring her home by 11:00. No later than that. If she is late, I'll call the police," said Anna

"Understood," I said gulping

"Anna will you lighten up? Carl was the one who saved me from Lynn remember?" said Sandra

"I know which is why I'm giving him a chance," said Anna

She then turned towards me again. I stayed perfectly still. Sandra's big sister was scary. I bet if she took a trip to Spain, she could scare the bulls with that look of hers.

"I am grateful that you helped my sister out of that situation, but it's going to take me awhile to trust you," said Anna

"I can't blame you. You're just looking out for her," I said

"You better be good to her tonight."

"I will. You have my word."

"Well just see about that. Now you two go on, have a good time and remember to be back here my 11:00."

"Don't worry Anna, I'll be back on time," said Sandra

Anna then closed the door while Sandra and I headed to my car. I opened the passenger door and let Sandra in first and then I got in, started the car, and headed off to the cafe.

"Carl?" Sandra asked

"Yes?" I responded

"I'm sorry about my sister's behavior. I hope she didn't scare you."

"Don't worry. Anna is just being a good sister. She really cares about you."

"Yeah, she does. Most of the time."

"What do you mean by that?"

"Oh, nothing."

When we arrived at the cafe, I let Sandra get whatever she wanted. After we both got our food, we went outside and found a table that was in a nice spot. There also wasn't a lot of people outside so it felt like we had the whole area to ourselves. During our dinner, I couldn't help but stare at Sandra. Her eyes was what really got me hooked. I've never seen such emerald green eyes before which makes her more beautiful. While I stared, I somehow managed to let some of my food fall in my lap. Sandra giggled until I took notice. Talk about embarrassing. After we finished dinner at the cafe, I drove Sandra to the park. We walked around for a bit and then found a comfortable spot under a tree. The sun had set and the moon came out and it's light shined brightly just like the night I first met Sandra.

"So Carl, what's your family like?" Sandra asked

"Well, they are quite a bunch. I can't really say that we're normal," I replied

"Sounds like we can relate."

"Come on, your family has to be more normal than mine."

"Well, they're not."

We grew silent for a moment. I couldn't help but feel that I said something wrong as Sandra sighed.

"Carl, my family broke apart when I was a little girl. My mother took off leaving me, my sister, and father behind. We were sad, but my father told me and my sister that we were going to be okay and we believed him. My father soon turned nasty when he started drinking and started hurting us. He was more abusive towards my big sister than me. The things he did to us were awful. Anna and I have put up with my father for years. When Anna was old enough, she moved out and took me with her. She would have never forgave herself if she left me behind. We have been together ever since and I never saw my father again."

"Sandra, I'm so sorry. You've had it a lot harder than I did."

"Did your father abuse you too?"

"No, my father and I just couldn't get along was all, but my mother had also left. I haven't seen her in years."

"If you don't mind me asking, why did she leave?"

"It's complicated and you probably wouldn't believe me if I told you. Nobody has."

"Try me."

I sighed and rubbed the back of my head. I didn't think I had to share my secret with Sandra this soon, but I can't hide the truth of her. Suddenly, Sandra touch my hand and looked at me with a pleading look.

"My mother left because she's an alien," I said

"She what?" questioned Sandra

"My mother is an alien. She calls herself an Anodite. The reason she left was because she was getting sick. She could no longer be with us, but I do hope that she comes back and visits at least. As for my father, we have a hard time getting along because he's been keeping a secret life from me and my brother. My father is apart of a secret organization called The Plumbers and that's involved with fighting, studying, or learning from aliens that come down to Earth."

I looked at Sandra and she had a blank stare on her face. She blinked a few times. I sighed and turned away from her. I knew she wouldn't believe me. She'll just leave like the others.

"Look, I know it sounds bizarre, but it's the truth. If you think I'm crazy and never want to see me again, I'll understand," I said

I started to get up, but Sandra grabbed my hand and grasped it which kind of surprised me.

"Carl, I do believe you," she said

"What?" I said sitting back down

"I know when a person is lying to me. I can sense it. You are telling me the truth. I can tell by the look in your eyes. You'd never make this up."

She smiled at me and I smiled back. That's when I leaned over and kissed her on the cheek. She seemed surprised and I blushed. What has come over me? It's my first date with Sandra and I'm already putting moves on her. That's moving way too fast.

"I'm sorry. I don't know what came over me," I said

"You missed," said Sandra

"What? I missed?"

"Here, let me show you."

Sandra touched my face with her hands, leaned in, and pressed her lips against mine. She had certainly surprised me. At that moment, a warm feeling poured over me causing my goose bumps to travel along my arms. As we continued to kiss, I wrapped my arms around her. This kiss had to have lasted for 2 minutes. It felt like I didn't even breathe the whole time. Once our lips unlocked, we looked into each others eyes.

"Wow, your eyes are like the prettiest emeralds in the world," I said

"You really think so?" asked Sandra

"I know so."

"I'm so happy to hear you say that. I've never really liked my eyes."

"What? Why not?"

"In school, I got teased about it. I was the only one there with green eyes and those boys found me weird, called me names, and even said my eyes were hideous. All because I was different."

"Well what do those pricks know? They don't know a beautiful woman when they see one, in fact they probably don't even qualify to be a man. I'd love to pound the shit out of them for being so cruel to you."

Sandra hugged me and I hugged her back. We decided to spend a little more time at the park gazing at the moon. This night turned out to be perfect. Around 9:30pm, we headed back to the car and decided to cruise around a bit. At 10:15pm, Sandra was getting tired so I decided to drive her home. I think we both felt that it was best, besides, I want to earn Anna's trust. Once I pulled up to Sandra's place, I opened the car door for her and walked her up to the front door.

"Thanks Carl. I had a good time," said Sandra

"So did I. I hope we get to do this again soon," I said

"I'd like that."

And with that, I leaned in and gave her a kiss goodnight. We both wrapped our arms around each other and continued until the front door flew open scaring the crap out of me. Our goodnight kiss ended with us jumping backward and turning our attention to the door.

"AHA! I thought I heard somebody out here!" shouted Anna

Anna looked pretty angry and she also had a baseball bat in her hand which made me nervous.

"Anna, will you put that thing away!" shouted Sandra

"I thought it was a prowler," she responded

"Yeah right."

"Anna, I brought her back safe and sound and we came a little early in case of traffic," I said trying to change the subject

Anna then looked at me while Sandra took the baseball bat away and put it back inside. I don't know what it is about Anna, but every time I see her, fear strikes my soul. It's worse when she locks eyes on me.

"Thank you for bringing her back safely," said Anna

"You're welcome. You are a great sister to Sandra," I said

"Don't suck up to me kid."

"Hey, I meant that."

"Carl?" questioned Sandra

"Yeah?" I responded

"I'll call you sometime."

"Okay."

"Goodnight Carl, let's get inside Sandra," said Anna while pulling her inside and closing the front door

I sighed and headed back to my car. Anna really is a piece of work and I can already tell that earning her trust was going to be difficult. Well, I got back in my car and was off back to my apartment. On the way home, all I could think about was Sandra and I was also relieved that she accepted my family secrets. Whenever my next date with Sandra was going to happen, I was looking forward to it.

**Writer's Notes:**

**Hey guys! Well it did seem like I rushed a bit in this chapter a bit. I was pretty eager to writing out Carl and Sandra's interactions on their families and secrets while they were on their date. Also, Carl and Sandra sharing their first kiss probably should have waited, but I think I nailed the moment nicely. Anyways, I'll post the next chapter as soon as possible. **


	5. Ch 4: Bonding Time With Frank

**Alright, Chapter 4 has finally arrived! Just to give you guys a heads up, the story is going to be jumping ahead (time warp!) Anyways, Carl gets a visit from his brother Frank and eventually learns that Verdona is back! (Only for a short time though). Well, read on and find out what will happen:**

* * *

><p>A year and a half has passed. Sandra and I have grown closer than ever. What's even better is that Sandra's sister finally trusts me. I don't think I've ever been this close to anyone before. My love bond with Sandra seems so permanent and I'm starting to feel that this would be the year that I would ask Sandra to marry me. The question is though, when is the perfect timing? Not to mention that I need to buy her a ring, if I can afford it. Well, I know that this would have to wait for a little awhile because something unexpected has happened. One night when I was going through wedding ring catalogs, there was a knock on the door which caught me by surprise. Who could possibly visit me at this hour? I looked through the peephole and to my surprise, it was my brother Frank. I opened the door to see him standing there with an unhappy look and he had a pillow under one arm and a bag in the other.<p>

"Frank, what's going on?" I asked as I invited him in

"Natalie and I got in a fight and here I am," said Frank

"What happened?"

"She found out about our family secret."

"You finally told her?"

"Actually, our mother showed up."

"Mom's here?!"

"Yes, but only for a short time. She told me to tell you that the next time she comes back to Earth, she'll visit you."

"Oh. Well, how did Natalie take the news of our family secret?"

"Not so good. While Natalie was fixing dinner, mother levitated through the ceiling scaring the shit out of Natalie causing her to spill dinner on the floor. After 10 minutes of explanation to Natalie, she became angry at me. That's when she started yelling at me and saying that I've been lying to her this whole time. Mother made it worse by stepping in and suggested that I come spend a night or two at your place while she gets to know Natalie."

"I'm sorry that this happened, but she was going to find out sooner or later."

"I should have listened to you Carl. You were right."

"Well don't worry bro. Natalie will learn to accept the family secret and if you are going to apologize to her, may I suggest getting her flowers."

"I'll do that, but I'm also a bit concerned about Natalie."

"What do you mean?"

"She hasn't been feeling well lately and I'm just worried what might be going on at home."

"Frank, I wouldn't worry. Mom is with her."

"That's what worries me. Natalie just looked so terrified of mother."

"Mom wouldn't do anything to hurt Natalie, she is the sweetest alien I know."

"I know that."

The room suddenly grew quiet for a few minutes. I knew that my brother was concerned about his wife and I'm sure that he's regretting not telling her sooner because Natalie has to accept so much in one day. Then, my brother noticed the wedding catalog on my table.

"What's this?" he asked

"A catalog," I said rather sheepishly

"So, what are you up to?"

"Well, I'm looking for a wedding ring for Sandra. I'm going to ask her to marry me."

"Hey, that's great! When do you plan to ask her?"

"I'm not sure yet. I'm still planning this out and it'll help if I have a ring first."

Frank decided to help me find the perfect ring for Sandra as well as coming up with a proposal plan. After that, we decided to order pizza and put on a movie. I inserted the movie into the VCR and pushed play. It didn't take long until Frank and I grew bored of the movie. Sure we've seen it lots of times and enjoyed it, but this time we were bored of it.

These past few days have actually been fun. I couldn't remember the last time Frank and I hung out together. Our brotherly bonding reminds me of when Frank and I were younger. We would play together, make costumes out of cardboard, go on adventures in the backyard and there were also times when we would fight. Ah, good times. Sometimes, I would wish that I could go back in time and relive some of my childhood moments. Around the afternoon, there was a knock on my door. I went to answer and to my surprise, my sister in law stood there. She had a blank look on her face that made it hard for me to tell if she was upset, happy, or angry. She was also holding a small box in her hands.

"Is Frank here?" asked Natalie

"Yeah, come on in," I said

As she walked inside, Frank entered the room and was surprised to see his wife.

"Natalie?" Frank questioned

That's when Natalie started to tear up. She ran towards Frank and hugged him tightly.

"I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have yelled at you. Please forgive me," said Natalie

"Honey, I'm the one who's sorry. I should have told you the truth about my family and my mother," said Frank lifting her chin up

"Well, it's more than that Frank. I've been pretty cranky lately and I'm sorry."

"It's okay Natalie. I'm not mad at you and I never will be."

Frank then noticed the box that Natalie had in her hand.

"What's that?" Frank asked

"A surprise for you. That's why I came here. I couldn't wait for you to come home," said Natalie

She handed the box to Frank and he began to open it. Once the lid was opened, Frank looked inside and saw a small stick of some kind. He let it fall out of the box and into his hand. He looked at it and seemed rather confused.

"What's this?" Frank asked

"It's a pregnancy test. It came out positive," said Natalie

Frank dropped the pregnancy test and the box with a surprised look on his face. I was also surprised. I didn't see this coming at all. I actually pictured something else in that box.

"Natalie, you're pregnant?" Frank questioned

"Yes," she said with a smile

"Are you sure?"

"Of course I'm sure! Aren't you happy?"

"Yes I am, but when did you find this out?"

"Well, before I even took the pregnancy test, your mother told me while she was spending time with me. She said something about a spark."

"A spark?"

"Mmm hmm."

*****Flashback With Natalie and Verdona*****

After Frank left, Natalie sat on the sofa and began to cry. Verdona sat right next to her and hugged her.

"Don't cry Natalie, it's going to be okay," said Verdona

"Why didn't he tell me?" asked Natalie

"I'm sure he had his reasons sweetie, but don't be too hard on him. His father and I have been keeping secrets from him and Carl."

"I didn't know that."

"So, I heard you haven't been feeling well Natalie."

"Yeah. I'm probably coming down with a flu bug or something."

"I would like to check something out, may I?"

"Uh, sure."

"Okay, let's go over here."

Verdona took Natalie's hand and escorted her to Frank's office. Natalie didn't quite understand why. Verdona then rested her hand on Natalie's lower abdomen and then began using her powers. Mana glowed from Verdona's hands and eyes which kind of freaked out Natalie. A few seconds later, Verdona stopped using her powers and looked at Natalie with a smile.

"That's what it is," said Verdona

"What?" questioned Natalie

"You're going to have a baby."

"WHAT!"

"It's true Natalie. I detected that little spark inside you. Oh, you made me the happiest Anodite in the universe."

"Spark?"

"That just means that your baby might be an Anodite, like me."

"Oh, I can't handle this."

Natalie rubbed her head as she walked back to the sofa. Verdona followed and sat down next to Natalie again.

"I'm sorry if this all seems sudden to you dear. The family secrets, me being an Anodite, the baby," said Verdona

"Yeah, you're right. I just feel overwhelmed right now," said Natalie

"I can't blame you for feeling that way, but don't worry. Everything is going to be alright."

Verdona then hugged Natalie. She planned to stay with her for a few days until Frank came home, but after those days passed, Verdona felt that it was time to go back.

"You're leaving?" asked Natalie

"Yes, it's time that I went back to Anodine, but first I'm going to see Max," said Verdona

Verdona than began to levitate which still scared Natalie a bit.

"Goodbye my dear. I'll be sure to visit when that little bundle of joy arrives," said Verdona

And with a flash of light, she was gone. Natalie was alone in her home again. She then looked down at her stomach and placed her hand on her lower abdomen.

"Was my mother in law telling the truth? Am I really pregnant?" Natalie asked herself

She then grabbed her purse and headed out the door. She needed to do a test herself to find out.

*****End Of Flashback*****

Frank then pulled Natalie into a hug and shared a long kiss with her. I haven't seen my brother this happy since his favorite sports team won the Super Bowl. What a year that was.

"I can't believe it, I'm going to be a father!" said Frank

"We need to tell everybody and then we'll go celebrate afterwards," said Natalie

"Sounds good to me."

Frank and Natalie then turned their attention to me. I was standing in the same spot since Natalie arrived.

"Carl, thanks for letting Frank stay with you," said Natalie

"Anytime," I said

"Well, see you later Uncle Carl," said Frank

He grabbed his stuff and was out the door in a matter of seconds. I could tell that my brother and sister in law were excited. Who could blame them? Something wonderful has taken place in their lives. I decided to call Sandra and tell her what happened. She seemed very happy for me and excited.

"The start of a new Tennyson generation, how exciting!" said Sandra

"I'll have to get used to being called Uncle Carl," I said

"I wonder what they'll name their baby."

"Who knows, but I think it's too early for them to think of names."

"I know, but it must be exciting though."

"Well, if I had a kid, I'd name him Sherman."

"Sherman? You'd name your son Sherman?"

"Yeah. Do you have a better name?"

"Sure do, Serene."

"We are not naming our son Serene!"

"Serene is our daughter's name. Our son's name is Hunter."

"Hunter? You might as well name him Serene!"

"Our son will be called Hunter!"

"Sherman!"

"Hunter!"

"Sherman!"

"Carl?"

"What?"

"When did we have a kid?"

"Oh, I don't know. We somehow missed it."

"I guess we got carried away."

"Tell you what Sandra, let's not think of names until we're both on a romantic cruise."

"Okay."

Sandra and I began to laugh. Who knew we'd end up talking about names over the phone, but that's obviously related to Frank and Natalie's happy news. Sandra and I talked for a little while and then we both went back to our daily lives. The only thing I could think of was when I should propose to Sandra and how I was going to do it. The more I thought about it, the more I began to feel scared. I'm not sure why I felt that way either.

**Writer's Notes:**

**Okay, I would like to point out something. I did say in the introduction that Ben, Gwen, and Kevin wouldn't be in this fanfic, but I never said anything about Kenneth (Gwen's older brother) making an appearance. He has only appeared in one episode of the Ben 10 series and was never mentioned again. It makes me wonder if the creators (or CN) just killed him off. Anyways, I'll have the next chapter posted soon and it'll be the best chapter because Carl is going to propose to Sandra. YAY! **


	6. Ch 5: Marry Me

**Alright, here it is: Chapter 5. This is the chapter that I'm sure most of you have been waiting for. Carl finally proposes to Sandra! How does it go? Read on and find out for yourself (by the way, this chapter may change the rating to M):**

* * *

><p>A few months of have passed. During those months, I have finally got Sandra's ring and planned out the proposal. Frank helped me set it up. It did take awhile, but I felt that this proposal was going to be a good one along with a romantic dinner. Tonight, I was going to pick up Sandra and take her to the surprise, but something has happened that made the plans change a bit. It happened in the afternoon. I was getting ready to put some things in my car including Sandra's ring. As I put the ring in my pocket, the doorbell rang. It did surprise me because I don't usually get visitors. I opened the door and I was surprised to see Sandra standing there. She also looked upset.<p>

"Sandra?" I questioned

"Carl, I...I...," Sandra stuttered

That's when Sandra started to cry. I quickly brought her in and closed the door. This was the first time I ever saw Sandra cry. What in the world could have upset her? We both sat down on the couch and Sandra continued to cry. I pulled her into a hug.

"Sandra what happened?" I asked

She didn't respond right away, but after she calmed down a bit she was ready to tell me what was troubling her. She looked at me with those sad green eyes. It was killing me to see her cry like that.

"I got in a fight with my sister and she kicked me out of the house. She meant it this time," said Sandra

"Why would she do that?" I asked

"I've been asking myself that for years."

I started to notice that Sandra was rubbing her arm and was also holding it. I found it rather odd.

"What's wrong with your arm?" I asked

"Oh, it's nothing," said Sandra

"Come on Sandra, let me look at it."

I removed Sandra's hand and pulled up her sleeve and I became shocked. Her arm was covered in bruises and I mean dark bruises. I checked her other arm and it also had bruises.

"Who did this to you?" I demanded

"Nobody, I...I ran into a door and a wall," Sandra stuttered

"Come on Sandra, don't lie to me. You know you can tell me anything. Now who has done this to you?"

"It was my sister, Anna."

"Anna hit you? When did this start?"

"After we moved out of my dad's place. Anna didn't want me living with our abusive father. She felt that she was doing the right thing by pulling me out of that bad situation. The thing is though, whenever me and Anna got in an argument, she would hit me. Sometimes shove me into a wall or drag me across the carpet floor so that I would get rug burns. It never mattered if it was her fault or mine, Anna always has to be right and I always had to live by her rules. If I broke any of them, I would get hit for it. Anna would sometimes apologize after she calmed down, but the hitting continued."

I just couldn't believe it. How could Sandra's own flesh and blood hurt her like that? I took Sandra into my arms and just held her for a few moments. I had no idea that she was going through that kind of abuse for so long and she didn't even fight back.

"I can't believe your own sister would hurt you like that," I said

"Well it's not all Anna's fault. My father was very rough with her before she moved out and took me with her," said Sandra

"You were being abused your whole life. Why didn't you tell me sooner that Anna was hurting you?"

"I couldn't drag you into my problems. Besides, this is my battle, not yours."

"You don't deserve to be treated that way Sandra. I'm just glad that I finally know about this."

"Are you mad at me?"

"Of course not. I could never be angry at you. I love you Sandra and I'm never going to let anyone hurt you ever again."

"I love you too Carl, but Anna kicked me out for good. Where am I going to go?"

"Your place is here. You're staying with me."

Sandra seemed a bit surprised by that response. It may have seemed so sudden, but she smiled and began to cry happy tears. She hugged me and I hugged her back. We then shared a long kiss. For the next few hours we talked and even cuddled. By the time night fell, I was beginning to get nervous. While Sandra was in the kitchen making herself some tea, I was on the phone with Frank.

"Don't worry Carl, everything is set. Bring Sandra over whenever you're ready," said Frank

"Okay, we'll be over in a little bit," I said

"Are you nervous?"

"A little bit."

"Don't worry. I'm sure Sandra will love this."

"Alright, see you later."

"Bye."

"Bye."

I hung up the phone and Sandra came into the room.

"Who was that?" she asked

"My brother," I said

"Oh that's nice. How is he and Natalie doing?"

"They're doing fine."

"That's good."

"Well Sandra let's go out."

"Where are we going?"

"It's a surprise."

Within a few minutes, Sandra and I were in the car and on our way to the surprise. As I drove, I couldn't help but feel nervous. I was beginning to shake, but I couldn't let Sandra see that. When we arrived, I parked the car, got out, and opened Sandra's door.

"Where are we?" Sandra asked

"You'll see, but first you must close your eyes," I said

"Close my eyes?"

"Yes, that's part of the surprise."

Sandra closed her eyes and I lead her to the surprise. We walked into the park and into the area that I reserved. I lead Sandra into the center and stood back. I inhaled and exhaled.

"Alright, you can look now," I said

As Sandra opened her eyes, she was amazed by the surroundings. There was a gazebo and hedges decorated with lights and red roses. Sandra was still in awe. She just couldn't believe it.

"You did this for me?" asked Sandra

"Yeah," I said

"I don't know what to say."

"Well why don't you go check out the bench by the gazebo."

Sandra walked over to find a teddy bear holding a pretty pink rose and a message. As she picked up the message and began reading it, I walked up behind her and pulled out the ring from my pocket. I then got down on one knee. This was it, the moment I was waiting for. For the first time in my life, my heart was racing and I began to tremble again. When Sandra finished reading my message. She turned around and dropped the teddy bear. She put her hands over her mouth. It was hard for me to tell if she was happy or shocked. I inhaled and exhaled again.

"Sandra, you have made me the happiest man in the world. I have never met anyone like you and I'm glad we found each other. I would like to spend the rest of my life with you. Will you marry me?" I asked

All I could do was wait for Sandra's answer. I was then extremely nervous and it felt like my heart was about to leap out of my chest. Sandra removed her hands from her mouth and revealed a smile and she began nodding her head.

"Of course I will," said Sandra

I got up and hugged her and then shared a kiss with her. All the worries I had about this proposal going wrong went away. I was actually pretty relieved. Nothing but happiness was flowing through me. Sandra shed some happy tears as I did. I removed the ring from its box and slipped it on Sandra's finger.

"It fits," she said happily

"I'm glad," I said

As we were about to kiss again, there was a flash of light. We looked in the direction where it came from and it was Frank. He took our picture. I don't remember telling Frank to take our picture at the proposal, but oh well.

"Congrats you two," said Frank

"You knew about this?" asked Sandra

"Of course I did. I wanted to help my little brother plan this out for you."

"Awe, that's nice of you to help."

"Yeah, thanks Frank," I said

"No problem. Now I'll just leave you two alone," he replied

Suddenly music started playing. The song that was chosen wasn't what I had in mind. It sounded like something my dad listened to when he was my age, but Sandra seemed happy about it. So, we decided to dance awhile to the music.

_**"Oh, ho, ho**_

_**It's magic, you know.**_

_**Never believe it's not so.**_

_**It's magic, you know.**_

_**Never believe it's not so."**_

After we spent about an hour dancing to music, Sandra and I went back to my place, actually it was our place now. When I opened the door, the table was set along with dinner. Sandra was amazed and wondered how I did it. It didn't take long to find the answer. Sandra found a card on the table. It read:

_Carl & Sandra,_

_Enjoy your romantic dinner together. _

_Love, Frank_

"Wow Carl. Your brother sure is nice to surprise us like this," said Sandra

"He's a good guy," I said with a smile

Before we sat down to eat, I lit the candles and turned on soft music that I thought was better than what was played at the proposal. Seriously, who would listen to that kind of music? We both sat down and enjoyed what was prepared. Frank may not have great taste in music, but he can sure cook a great meal.

"This is great," said Sandra

"It is. My brother is a great cook," I said

"I'm surprised that he didn't become a chef. Why did he become a lawyer?"

"I don't know, maybe chefs don't make much money."

We continued to chat through dinner. After that, I cleaned up dinner and put the dishes in hot soapy water while Sandra walked around the apartment. When I was done with cleaning (or what I call cleaning), I found Sandra in the bedroom.

"So this is where you sleep?" she asked

"Yeah. Haven't you seen my room yet?" I asked

"No. It's actually my first time in here."

"Well, what do you think?"

"It's pretty spacious. Much bigger than my room. You could put a desk in here if you wanted to."

"All I need to add in this room is you."

Sandra smiled and then kissed me. I kissed her back. It wasn't long until the door was closed & locked, lights were turned off, the blinds were closed. Nothing but the moonlight peeking in. Sandra and I fell into a love passion. Our make out session lead us to the bed. We both plopped on top of it continuing to kiss. Our tongues touched and we both got a taste of each other. Actually, I could taste what Sandra ate tonight. I know that sounds gross, but it's a real turn on for me. Our lips remain locked and our breathing soon became heavy through our noses. Sandra began stroking by back which soon lead to her unbuttoning my shirt. I did the same by unhooking her bra. Our bodies were soon bare and touched each other. Sandra's warmth made my heart race and made my excitement grow even more. I started kissing her neck as she moved her fingers down my back slowly. I could feel Sandra's heart beating as she could feel mine racing while we were becoming one. Flowing through Sandra was a wonderful and beautiful experience. Our love passion went on for hours in the night. When we were both tired, we clung onto each other until we both fell asleep. This had to be the best day of our lives. I couldn't be any happier. I'm sure Sandra felt the same way.

The next morning, I woke up and opened my eyes to see Sandra asleep by my side and I realized that we were both still naked. It wasn't a dream. The proposal and our passion actually happened. I leaned in and kissed Sandra. She began to wake up. She opened her eyes and I gazed into those beautiful green eyes.

"So, did you sleep well?" I asked

"Yeah," said Sandra

Suddenly, we heard a noise coming from the kitchen. It caught me by surprise.

"What was that?" asked Sandra

"I don't know. Stay here, I'll find out," I said

I got out of bed, put on my boxers, and grabbed my bathrobe. I opened the bedroom door and closed it quietly behind me. I walked quietly through the hall and heard another clatter coming from the kitchen. Somebody else was in the apartment. I wasn't sure who it was, but I had to sneak a peek before I could even do anything. As I peeked my head into the kitchen. I saw a cloaked figure which seemed familiar to me.

"Carl, is that you sneaking around?" said the voice

"Mother?" I questioned

"Hello my darling."

She came over and gave me a hug. I hugged her back. It has been a long time since I've last seen my mother.

"Mother you scared me. I thought you were a prowler," I said

"I'm sorry. I just thought I pop in and visit," said Verdona

"What were you doing in here?"

"Washing the dishes. Your sink was full."

"Oh mom, you don't need to do that."

"But I wanted to. So, what have you been up to lately?"

"Well, Sandra and I got engaged last night."

"Oh how wonderful! You must introduce me to her."

Suddenly the bedroom door opened and closed. Sandra came into the room. She was wearing one of my night shirts. My mother and I turned our attention to her.

"Is this Sandra?" asked Verdona

"Yes and are you Verdona?" Sandra asked

"Why yes."

"I've heard quite a lot about you."

"Good things I hope."

"Oh yes. Carl never said a bad thing about you."

My mother smiled and kissed me on the cheek making me blush. That's when my mother noticed Sandra's ring. She took Sandra's hand and gazed at the ring.

"Wow, it's beautiful. Congrats on your engagement by the way," said Verdona

"Thank you," said Sandra

"Carl, you be good to this girl."

"You know I will mother," I said

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. I went over to answer and to my surprise, Anna was standing there. I wasn't happy to see her.

"What are you doing here?" I asked harshly

"I'm looking for my sister. Is she here?" asked Anna

"Why the hell do you care?"

"What's got into you all of a sudden?"

"Anna?" questioned Sandra

Anna looked past me and saw Sandra standing next to my mother. She was surprised to see Sandra wearing my night shirt.

"I looked everywhere for you yesterday. Did you sleep here last night?" asked Anna inviting herself in

"Well it's not like I had anywhere else to go. You kicked me out of the house remember?" said Sandra

"Why are you dressed in that?"

"I didn't have any other change of clothes."

Anna came closer to Sandra. She had a scared look on her face. She grabbed Sandra's arm and pulled her close. Her eyes suddenly widened.

"You slept with Carl didn't you?" asked Anna

"That's none of your business!" snapped Sandra

"Don't you lie to me! I can smell that stench on you!"

"Yeah so what if I did? Carl loves me and cares for me!"

"You bitchy slut! How dare you talk to me like that. After everything I did for you!"

"All you did was beat me when you got angry or didn't get your way, just like dad!"

"ENOUGH! We're going to have a long talk when we get home, now let's go!"

Anna grabbed Sandra's arm pulling her out of the apartment, but Sandra broke from Anna's grasp.

"NO! I'm not going with you!" shouted Sandra

"Oh yes you are!" snapped Anna

"Anna I'm engaged to Carl. I'm going to be living with him from now on!"

Suddenly, Anna slapped Sandra across the face causing her to fall to the floor. This surprised my mother as well as me. Before Anna had a chance to hit Sandra again, I grabbed her fist and looked at her angrily.

"Don't you dare touch her again!" I snapped

"You stay out of this Carl. This is none of your concern," snapped Anna

"You better listen to him!" Verdona said approaching

"Who the hell are you?" asked Anna

"The names Verdona. Carl's my son and I've seen quite enough. How dare you hurt your own sister."

"You stay out of this too old bat!"

"You do not want to cross the line with me human!"

"Human? What are you some kind of alien?"

"See for yourself!"

My mother levitated in mid air and began using her powers. A flash of light filled the room and my mother's skin fell off scaring Anna and leaving Sandra stunned. My mother used her mana and picked up Anna.

"Now you know I'm not like any of you humans," said Verdona

"LET ME GO!" screamed Anna

My mother used her powers to throw Anna out the door and she hit the wall and slid down to the floor. I stood in the doorway where my mother continued to levitate in mid air in front of Anna.

"Mom, take it easy!" I said

"I knew there was something odd about you Carl. You're a freak!" said Anna

"He's not the one you need to worry about. I'm your worst nightmare! If I ever see you hurt Sandra again, I'm coming after you and don't you ever show your face around here again!" threatened Verdona

Anna got up and took off. I got a feeling that I haven't seen the last of her. I'm just glad that it was over. My mother levitated back inside and I closed the door. I just hope that none of the neighbors heard or saw what went on.

"Sandra, are you alright?" I asked

"Yes, I'm fine," she said

Sandra then turned her attention to my mother. She couldn't help but stare at her.

"So, this is what an anodite looks like?" asked Sandra

"Yes, but we do come in different sizes. Does my true form scare you?" asked Verdona

"No, I think you're beautiful."

"Awe, thank you sweetheart."

"I do have a question though."

"What is it? Ask away."

"If you're an anodite, is Carl an anodite too?"

"Oh no. Carl is human like his father. The chances of Carl or Frank being anodites were 50/50, but I guess it's a good thing that they both turned out human."

"You don't sound too happy about it."

"Well, it would have been nice to have an offspring that was just like me, but I can always hope that my future grandchildren will turn out to be anodites. Carl and Frank may not be anodites, but they carry my genes that can be passed on to my future grandchildren."

"Well, I take it that you hope Natalie's baby is an anodite."

"Oh yes. So when is that little bundle of joy coming?"

"It won't be for another 4 months mom," I said

"Does she know what she's having?" asked Verdona

"No. Frank and Natalie want to be surprised."

"Oh, I see. Well I'll be sure to visit them when that little spark arrives."

"Mom, that baby could turn out to be a human so don't get your hopes up."

"We'll just wait and see then. Anyways, I heard you two had a special night last night."

Sandra and I looked at each other and blushed.

"Uh yeah. It really was special," I said

"Well there's no need to be embarrassed about it. I think it's great that you two are in love," said Verdona

"You're not mad?" asked Sandra

"Of course not. I remember my first special night with Max. It was real good too. We rocked that bed all through the night and..."

"MOM! We don't want to hear it!" I shouted while turning red from embarrassment

"Don't get embarrassed honey. You and Frank weren't even born yet."

Sandra giggled as I shook my head. My mother can be really embarrassing sometimes. I know she means well, but still. Anyways, Sandra and I got dressed for the day and we spent a few hours with my mother until she decided to leave. She wanted to see my father and Frank & Natalie before returning to her planet Anodine. My mother put her skin back on. Then kissed me goodbye and kissed Sandra on the cheek.

"Goodbye my dears. You'll let me know when the wedding is?" asked Verdona

"Yes mom. You know you're already invited," I said

"I look forward to it. I'll be back soon."

My mother levitated through the roof which surprised Sandra.

"I didn't know she could do that," said Sandra

"My mother is just full of surprises," I said

"I'm glad I finally got to meet her. I like her."

"Well that's good to hear. She likes you too."

"So, what are our plans for today?"

"Well for starters, let's get a bigger dresser and I'll buy you a new wardrobe of clothes."

Sandra kissed me and I blushed. Soon, we both headed out into town to do some shopping. As I drove along with Sandra, I could feel that our future was bright. I know that Sandra and I were going to be very happy together forever.

**Writer's Notes:**

**Okay, I didn't expect this chapter to go on this long, but I'm glad it did. Carl and Sandra had their special night together. I just had to write it in this chapter and yeah, I made Anna a real bitch, but keep in mind that she only acted that way because of how her father treated her. Anyways, I'll have the next chapter up soon (sometime after Thanksgiving). Hope you're looking forward to it.**

Disclaimer: I do not own the song that was mentioned in this chapter.

"Magic" by Pilot © Copyrights 1974


	7. Ch 6: My Nephew, Kenneth Tennyson

**Okay, here's Chapter 6. Sorry it took so long to post this, but I ended up busy for the rest of the 2014 year. This chapter introduces baby Kenneth, the beginning of the new Tennyson generation. So, this is kind of a special chapter. Enjoy!**

* * *

><p>Months have passed and the closer it got to our wedding day, the happier Sandra got. During these past 4 months, Sandra and I have been making plans for our wedding. We still haven't decided what we wanted, but the different plans we made gave us options. However, thinking of our wedding would have to wait awhile. I received a phone call from Frank Sunday afternoon while Sandra and I were going through wedding catalogs to get more ideas.<p>

"Hello," I said answering

"Hi Carl," said Frank

"Oh hey bro, what's up?"

"I'm sorry to bother you, but I have a problem."

"What's wrong?"

"I have to go out of town this week for a big court case and I'm afraid to leave Natalie alone. I was wondering if she could stay with you and Sandra until I get back."

"Oh sure. Not a problem."

"Actually, there is one."

"What's that?"

"Well, Natalie is really pregnant and she could be due at anytime."

"Oh I see."

"Well, I hope that this kid waits until I get back. In the meantime, I don't want Natalie to be all by herself so..."

"Frank it's no problem. Natalie can stay with us. She and Sandra can keep each other company while I'm at work."

"Thanks Carl. We'll be over later tonight. Is 8:00 okay?"

"Sure, that's fine."

"Great, so you then."

"Bye."

I hung up and sat back down on the couch with Sandra. She was still going through a wedding catalog.

"Was that Frank?" asked Sandra

"Yeah," I replied

"What's going on?"

"Frank has an important court case to attend out of town this week and he is concerned about leaving Natalie alone so she'll be staying with us."

"Wonderful!"

"I think it'll be nice to have someone keep you company while I'm working."

"Yeah, but I'm going to find a job soon."

"Honey, you don't need to do that. I make enough to support us both."

"You're missing the point. I want a job so that we'll put more money towards our wedding."

"Oh I see."

"I just want us to have a good wedding."

"And we will. Don't worry."

I kissed Sandra and she kissed me back. For the rest of that afternoon, we looked through all the wedding catalogs. We must have looked through them dozens of times. Sandra even had a notepad and was jotting down ideas and even crossing out some. Around 8:00 that night, there was a knock at the door. Sandra jumped up and went to answer. She was looking forward to spending the week with Natalie. The door opened and the girls greeted each other with excitement. They acted like they haven't seen each other in years. I was kind of surprised when I saw Natalie walk through the door. When Frank said she was really pregnant, he wasn't kidding. Although, I thought it was cute how she waddled in. She walks just like a penguin and I mean that in the nicest possible way.

"Hey Carl," said Frank

"Hey," I said back

"Thanks so much for doing me this favor."

"It's no problem."

I took the bags out of Frank's hands and set them by the couch while Frank started making his goodbyes to Natalie.

"I'm going to miss you," said Natalie

"I'll miss you too," said Frank

He then knelt down and kissed Natalie's belly.

"Now don't you come until I get back," said Frank to his unborn child

"Well it's not up to you is it?" said Natalie looking down at him

"I know, but if the time does come when I'm away, I want you to call me."

"Geez Frank, you sound like a father scolding his teenage daughter," I said

"Oh shut up," he replied rolling his eyes as he got back up

"Don't worry Frank. Natalie will be safe with us and she'll have a good time," said Sandra

Frank smiled at Sandra and hugged Natalie once more before heading out the door. Natalie let out a sigh and then headed over to the couch. She then noticed the wedding catalogs scattered all over the coffee table.

"Are you guys still making wedding plans?" asked Natalie

"Yeah. We're just trying to get a few ideas," said Carl

"It's kind of hard," said Sandra

"I remember it being like that for me too," said Natalie

"Really?"

"Oh yeah. When it comes to weddings, it's hard to find ideas. Maybe I can help."

"Oh, that would be super."

Sandra sat down on the couch next to Natalie and they were both going through the wedding catalogs. I just stood back and watched them flipping through pages and even looking over the plans Sandra wrote down. I must have been standing in the same spot watching them for a few minutes. They were chatting, laughing, having a good time. I decided to head into the bedroom and watch TV. I didn't want to interrupt their girl time, besides, they can come up with better wedding plans than I can. It's true what they say; women are better wedding planners than men are.

A week went by and I have to admit that it went by quick. For this past week, when I would come home from work, I would see Sandra and Natalie doing stuff together. When Friday finally came, I was happy. T.G.I.F. (Thank God It's Friday). Usually, Sandra and I would go out Friday night to see a movie or have dinner, but since Natalie was with us, Sandra and I planned to rent a movie and order pizza that night. Natalie liked the idea, but mostly for the fact that she's craving cheese. However, our Friday plans would be put to a screeching holt. That Friday when I got off work, I headed home and expected to walk in and see Sandra and Natalie gathered in the Living Room or Kitchen chatting away, but when I made it to the front door and opened it, something was different. I walked in, set my stuff aside, and began looking around for Sandra and Natalie. It felt like the place was empty.

"Hello?" I questioned

There was no response, it was still quiet.

"Hello! Anyone home!" I finally called out

Suddenly, I heard the bedroom door open and close and footsteps coming down the hallway. It was Sandra. I was happy to see her, but when I saw the look on her face, I knew that something was wrong.

"Sandra, what's the matter?" I asked approaching her

"It's Natalie," she replied

"What's wrong? Is she okay?"

"I think she might be in labor."

I grew scared. I quickly darted down the hall with Sandra behind me and we both entered our bedroom. I saw Natalie laying on our bed and she didn't look so good. My scares began to grow inside my chest.

"Natalie?" I questioned

"Carl, I think it's time," she responded sounding scared

"Are you sure? This isn't a false labor?"

"I'm positive. This is it."

"Oh my God."

I turned towards Sandra hoping for an answer, but she seemed just as scared as I was. Suddenly, a thought came to me and I quickly rushed out of the bedroom and into the living room. I looked through the papers that were on the coffee table until I found what I was looking for. I then grabbed the phone as Sandra came into the room and looked at me rather confused.

"What are you doing?" she asked

"I'm going to try to get a hold of Frank. Stay with Natalie!" I said

Sandra nodded and rushed back to the bedroom. First I decided to call the business where Frank was handling the case. No luck, Frank wasn't there. I was told that he left the place about an hour ago. Next, I called the hotel where Frank was staying at. I was hoping that he was still there. Again, no luck. He had checked out of the hotel awhile ago.

"Shit!" I shouted slamming the phone down on the coffee table

This cannot be happening to me. I didn't know what else to do except drive Natalie to the hospital myself. I grabbed some of Natalie's things, rushed out the front door, and to my car. I put them in the trunk and then rushed back inside. I went into the bedroom where Sandra was sitting on the bed next to Natalie.

"Alright, let's go!" I said

They both looked up at me.

"What do you mean?" asked Natalie exhaling

"Did you get a hold of Frank?" asked Sandra

"No I didn't, so we'll have to take Natalie to the hospital ourselves," I said

"Oh no," moaned Natalie

"It's going to be okay," assured Sandra

Sandra and I helped Natalie up and we both helped her to the car. Natalie decided to get in the back with Sandra when I thought the front would be more comfortable for her. I didn't have time to argue. All that mattered was getting Natalie to the hospital in time. Let me tell you, the drive there was nerve wrecking. I don't think I've ever been this scared in my life. If my brother was here then things would have been different. Every time we stopped at a red light, I prayed to God that it would change quickly. During the stops, I would peek in the back to see how Natalie was doing.

"Is everything okay back there?" I asked

"For the millionth time, yes!" said Sandra annoyed

Have I really asked that question throughout this nerve wrecking trip? I shook off the idea and focused on getting to the hospital. About 10 minutes later, I quickly pulled into the hospital parking lot and parked in front of the building instead of the lot with the other cars. A security guard came by.

"Hey, you can't park here. This is for emergency..." he started to say

"Well this is an emergency! I have a pregnant woman in the car who's about to explode any minute!" I yelled cutting off his sentence.

The security guard just stared at me for a moment, but went towards my car and opened the door where Sandra and Natalie were. It didn't take long for Natalie to get inside the hospital. Two nurses brought out a wheelchair and immediately rushed her in. Sandra went in with her while I moved the car. It didn't take long for me to find a parking spot and it wasn't too far from the main entrance of the hospital. I opened the trunk, got Natalie's bags, and took them inside with me. I met up with Sandra when Natalie was being taken to a room.

"Oh, thank God we made it," said Sandra

"Yeah, what a relief," I said

Once Natalie was settled in her room, Sandra and I entered and I placed Natalie's bags by the chair.

"Thanks guys so much for getting me here," said Natalie

"No trouble. You know we'd do anything for you," said Sandra

"Well, I just hope that everything's alright," I said

"Don't worry Carl. The baby is fine and will be arriving soon," said Natalie

Natalie began her labor breathing again. I escorted Sandra out of the room for a minute. I felt that we were both thinking the same thing: Where the hell is Frank?

"Well, Natalie is in there all by herself. Frank should be here. What are we going to do?" Sandra asked concerned

"I don't know!" I said back

We were both silent for a moment until a new thought came to me.

"Alright, there is one last thing I can try," I said

"What is it?" Sandra asked

"Since Frank wasn't at the business place or the hotel, he must be on his way back home. The only thing I can do is drive to his place and wait for him. Once he arrives, I'll drag his sorry ass back here."

"Well, what should I do?"

"Natalie may want some company. Can you stay with her until I get back?"

"Of course."

I kissed Sandra and headed out towards the parking lot while she went back into Natalie's room. I hurried into the parking lot, got in my car, and drove off to Frank's place. Along the way there, I was hoping that my brother would be home. Frank can't miss this. My brother would regret it for the rest of his life if he ended up missing his own kid's birth. It took me about 7 minutes to reach Frank's house and just as I pulled up along side of his house, I saw Frank walking up to his door. He had keys in one hand and a suitcase in the other. I blared my horn which made him jump. When he saw it was me, he darted down towards my car.

"What the hell Carl? That was not funny!" snapped Frank

"Natalie's in labor. Get your ass in the car!" I snapped back

Frank suddenly grew into shock, but did what I told him to do. He threw his suitcase in the back, shut the door, and buckled up. I then took off towards the hospital again. My brother was now experiencing the fear that I went through awhile ago.

"What...when did this happen?" Frank asked stammering

"I'm not sure. When I got home from work, Natalie was in labor and I drove her to the hospital," I said

"Why didn't you call me?"

"Gee. I should have thought of that."

I then slugged my brother in the arm making him say ow.

"OF COURSE I CALLED YOU!" I yelled

"Then how come I didn't receive your call?" Frank asked rubbing his arm

"Because you weren't there. You only left me and Sandra two numbers remember?"

"Oh man, I knew I should have left sooner. I should have skipped that business lunch."

"Well, all that matters now is that you get to Natalie before your baby arrives."

It didn't take long for us to reach the hospital. Once I found a parking space, Frank jumped out of the car and ran towards the hospital entrance. I don't think I've ever seen my brother run that fast before. Once I locked up the car, I walked towards the hospital entrance. I would have ran too, but I felt that there was no need to. Once I reached Natalie's room, Frank was embracing Natalie. He kissed her a few times and made about 100 apologies.

"Natalie, I promise you that I'll never take off like that again," said Frank sounding guilty

"Frank, it couldn't be helped. You had to take that case," she replied

"I'm sorry Natalie."

"Don't be. It won't be long until we see our baby."

Natalie suddenly grasped Frank's hand which caught him off by surprise. Natalie's contraction went on for about a minute. When she let go of Frank's hand, he began rubbing it immediately. I felt like laughing after that, but had to keep it in.

"Carl, Sandra, thanks for helping me," said Natalie exhaling

"I'll be taking over from here," said Frank

"We'll be out in the waiting room," I said

"Oh, I can't wait to see that baby," said Sandra excitedly

"Shouldn't be much longer now," said Natalie

"Oh Carl, do me a favor and make a few calls. I want to make sure that everyone knows that the baby is coming," said Frank

"Sure, no problem," I said

"See you guys in a little while," said Sandra

Sandra and I left Natalie's room and headed towards the waiting room. While Sandra took a seat, I headed over towards the payphone and began making calls. I called Natalie's parents first, called Natalie's best friend, called Frank's best friend, and the last person I called was my dad. Even though I didn't want to make that call, I had to. My dad and I may have gone down different paths, but I wasn't that heartless. He had to know about the baby coming.

"Thanks for calling me Carl. I'll be heading down to the hospital soon," said Max

"Okay, great," I said

"See you soon then."

"Bye."

"Bye."

After I hung up, I went over and sat down next to Sandra. At that moment, I finally felt that I could relax. All the nerve wrecking & fear finally went away. I looked at Sandra. She seemed happy. That smile remained on her face and I was glad.

"Oh this is so exciting isn't it Carl?" Sandra asked

"Yeah, it is," I replied

"You're going to be an uncle soon. We'll soon be seeing your niece or nephew."

"Well, don't forget that this baby will be your niece or nephew too."

"Well not yet."

We became silent again. I cuffed my hands together and sat them in my lap as I leaned over.

"Carl?" asked Sandra

"Hmm," I responded looking at her

"Do you ever want kids?"

I kind of froze at her question and stared at her for a moment.

"What brought this up Sandra?" I asked

"Well I had pictured myself in Natalie's place when I was in there with her and just asked myself if this is something I wanted and then I asked myself if that's something you'd want," said Sandra

"Oh, I see."

"I know what I'd have to go through and from my point of view, it looks painful, but worth it in the end."

"That's just how the miracle of life starts Sandra."

"Well Carl, do you ever want kids? Do you ever want to become a father?"

"Yeah, of course I do, but not right away."

"Well I didn't mean this minute."

I leaned over and kissed Sandra and she kissed me back. I then leaned back in the chair and stared up at the ceiling. Sandra's question got me thinking about our future. If we did have children, would I be a good father to them? How would I react when they are born? These thoughts crossed my mind a few minutes more until I shook off the idea. It was still too early for me or Sandra to be thinking about that. Two hours have passed. Sandra and I haven't moved from our seats. Sandra had actually fallen asleep and rested her head on my shoulder. I didn't want to move and wake her which resulted in my butt falling asleep. Suddenly, my brother entered the waiting room and approached us. I tapped Sandra and she woke up to see Frank standing right in front of us with a big grin on his face.

"It's a boy!" said Frank

"I have a nephew!" I said happily

"Oh congratulations!" shouted Sandra

She jumped up and gave Frank a big hug and he hugged her back.

"What's his name?" asked Sandra

"Kenneth Tennyson," said Frank

"How's Natalie doing?"

"She's doing just fine, happy as can be."

"Can we see her and Kenneth?"

"Yes, but just wait a few more minutes."

"Alright, then we'll check out the gift shop and find something nice for Kenneth."

"You don't have to do that Sandra."

"But I want to. Come on Carl, let's go!"

And with that, Sandra grabbed my hand and lead me to the gift shop with excitement. We spent about 10 minutes browsing around. Sandra admired some of the baby stuff on the shelves. Soon, we decided to buy Kenneth a blue teddy bear. After that, we headed towards Natalie's room. When we walked in, Sandra awed at the little bundle Natalie was holding in her arms. Kenneth was sound asleep. Sandra showed Natalie the teddy bear and she found it adorable. Frank placed it on the window sill next to the flowers.

"He's so precious," I said

"He is," said Natalie with a smile

"I can't believe it. Yesterday Kenneth wasn't even here and now he is," said Sandra

"We can't believe it either," said Frank

"I bet you two are happy," I said

"Oh yes. We're happy and proud," said Natalie

Sandra and I continued to gaze down at Kenneth. He began to wake up and squirm a bit, but soon settled down. He opened his eyes and blinked a few times. This just made Sandra's heart melt even more. Then Kenneth began sucking on his hand. Suddenly, someone dropped in (literally) through the ceiling. This caught us all by surprise.

"Hello my dears," said Verdona

"Mother?" Frank and I questioned

"Well is that any way to say hello to your mother?"

"No mom, it isn't that. None of us didn't expect to see you here," said Frank

"Well when it comes to me, you should expect the unexpected and I had to come when I learned my grandson was finally born," said Verdona

"How did you know that our baby was a he?"

"Did you forget already Frank? I'm an Anodite. We can sense these things. Now let me see him."

Verdona approached Natalie who didn't look too comfortable of the idea, but she let Verdona hold Kenneth anyways. Natalie figured that the sooner Verdona met Kenneth, the sooner she'd leave. Verdona gazed down at the infant and smiled. Kenneth looked up at her continuing to suck on his hand.

"Tell me, what's the child's name?" asked Verdona

"His name is Kenneth," said Natalie

"Kenneth, that's a lovely name."

"Thank you."

"Now we just have to wait and see if he has the spark."

Natalie groaned from my mother's response. I could tell that she didn't seem to fond of my mother, but hopefully one of these days they will get along. Sandra and I visited for about 15 minutes and then decided to go home. As we were walking out, we ran into a familiar face.

"Carl, Sandra!" said Max happily

"Hi dad," I said

"Hi!" said Sandra giving Max a hug

My dad hugged her back. It was nice to see them getting along.

"Well, what has Natalie and Frank been blessed with?" asked Max

"A boy," I said

"Alright, I have a grandson! I'm a grandpa!"

"He is the sweetest thing," said Sandra  
>"Mom thinks so too," I said<p>

"Verdona is here?" asked Max

"Yep. She just dropped right in through the ceiling again."

"Yeah, that's normal for your mother to enter a room."

We all became silent for a moment and then we made our goodbyes. When Sandra and I finally got home, we both collapsed on the bed. It was already getting late. After the big day we had, we both were too tired to get into our pajamas.

"Carl?" asked Sandra

"Hmm," I said tiredly

"Do you think Kenneth has the spark?"

"I don't know Sandra. It's too early to tell, but for Natalie's sake, let's just hope that Kenneth is a normal human being."

"Well, when he have kids, will they have the spark?"

"Sandra, I don't know the answer to that either and don't you think it's a bit early to be talking about that?"

"I guess you're right. We better get some sleep. Goodnight."

Sandra turned off the lights and curled up in her spot. In minutes, we were both asleep. The dream I entered wasn't a great one, but it started out nice. In the dream, Sandra and I were married and had 3 little ones running around the household. Sandra was cooking in the kitchen while the kids were playing in the living room. I sat down in a recliner when the 3 little ones came up to me with happy smiles. I was about to hug them when suddenly their eyes started to glow which made me jump back in the recliner. Soon, the 3 little ones changed into Anodites and began repeating the word "spark." I looked around and everything around me changed and Sandra wasn't anywhere to be found. The dream has turned into a nightmare. The word "spark" kept being repeated over and over. Suddenly, the 3 Anodites jumped at me as if they were attacking me. I suddenly woke up in a jump scare way. I quickly sat up and looked around. I realized that I was in my bedroom and Sandra was by my side still asleep. I moved my hand across my face trying to shake off the nightmare I just had. I laid back down, but couldn't fall back to sleep right away. My mind kept asking "Will my children in the future have the spark? Will they be Anodites too?"

**End of Chapter 6. Woo! This chapter went on for quite awhile. Anyways, Kenneth finally made it into the picture and now one thing pries on everyone's mind: Does Kenneth have the spark?** **Well, I hope you enjoyed this chapter and I'll get the last chapter up as soon as I can.**


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